Van Sykes, one of the legends of Alabama barbecue, has just published a new book about the history of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, the venerable Bessemer barbecue joint founded by his late father and mother.
Sykes will be signing copies of the book, “From The Pit To The Plate,” at the 11th annual Bob Sykes BBQ & Blues Festival in Bessemer’s DeBardeleben Park from noon to 8 p.m. this Saturday, April 30.
The book is also available at Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q at 1724 Ninth Ave. North in Bessemer.
Written by Birmingham’s Niki Sepsas and told by Van Sykes and other members of the Sykes family, “From The Pit To The Plate,” recounts the 65-year history of the family barbecue business from the first restaurant in Birmingham’s Central Park area to its current location in Bessemer.
Here are a few outtakes to whet your appetite:
Bob finds a bride
Before he became a barbecue man, Bob Sykes drove a Tip Top bread truck. And that’s how he met his bride.
“Daddy was delivering bread to a grocery store near the old Lonnie Russell Ford automobile dealership in the Five Points West area near the Alabama State Fairgrounds,” Van Sykes said in the book. “Osceola Groceries was owned by Charles Martin. It was a three-person operation with a butcher and two salespersons. My dad would talk to the people who worked there, and one of them was a young girl named Maxine Deerman. That young girl in the grocery store would become my mother.”
Maxine the Riveter
While Bob served in the Army during World War II, Maxine contributed to the war effort back home.
“I got a job at Belcher McCombs at the Birmingham airport,” Maxine remembered. “That company was the forerunner of today’s Hayes Aircraft. I really was a ‘Rosie the Riveter’ as that was my first job at Belcher. I was a riveter on the planes we were building there.”
The Ice Spot
After he came home from the war, Bob eventually parked his bread truck for good, and he and Maxine got in the restaurant business, opening a short-order restaurant they called the Ice Spot in 1957.
“We started serving sandwiches, burgers, a small selection of meats and vegetables, and ice cream,” Maxine said. “We were also known for having good coffee. Bob and I both loved coffee and wanted to serve the best coffee in our new place.”
Bob and Maxine Sykes stand outside Bob's, which they opened on Bessemer Road in Birmingham's Five Points West area. (Photo courtesy of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q; used with permission)
Drive-through
In 1965, Bob and Maxine bought an ice cream parlor called the Igloo in Five Points West and converted it into the original Bob Sykes Barbecue. Bob proved to be ahead of his time when he added a drive-through window.
“My dad built his barbecue pit and decided to install a drive-through window on the side of the building,” Van said. “Under my dad’s plan, people could drive up to this window and place their order without ever leaving their cars. All the fast-food places have this now, but in the 1960s, this was pretty cutting-edge stuff.”
Challenging times
Bob Sykes Barbecue eventually grew to include 15 franchises across Alabama and into Tennessee, but Bob Sykes suffered a stroke in 1970 that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. It was up to Maxine to keep the family business afloat.
“Mom had some really tough decisions to make,” Van said. “Some friends and family members suggested she close the stores, declare bankruptcy, and get out of the business. But Mom had grown up during the time of the Great Depression. She and my dad had known hard times and weathered difficult circumstances. She was not one to quit.”
(All of the franchises eventually closed, leaving only the flagship location in Bessemer.)
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Coming home
After three years in the Air Force, Van Sykes came back home in 1976 to help his mom run the business, working the night shift at the Bessemer location.
“I got a phone call from him on day telling me that he was coming back to Bessemer,” Maxine said. “He said that he finally realized that the Lord was leading him back home to help me run the business. . . . I was sure happy to hear that.”
A new building
A year later, in 1977, the Sykes family opened the doors of the new location of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, where the restaurant still stands today. Bessemer restaurateur Jimmy Koikos, whose family founded and still owns the Bright Star, sold them the property.
“We couldn’t have been more pleased,” Van said. “Our new building in our new location proved to be an instant success. The lessons I learned from my dad on buying the best cuts of meat, slow-cooking our barbecue on the hickory pit, never compromising quality, and diversifying our product line would now prove invaluable.”
Many of the employees at Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q have worked there for decades. (Photo courtesy of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q; used with permission)
Right-hand man
While Van focused on growing the family barbecue business, he needed help running the restaurant, and in 1981, help arrived in nephew Jason Jewell, who had just graduated with a business degree from Birmingham-Southern College. Jason has been Van’s right-hand man ever since.
“Jason decided to come on board, and I was delighted,” Van said. “Bringing Jason into the business remains one of the best business decisions I ever made, and a major reason why the restaurant has grown and expanded to where it is today.”
Passing the torch
Bob Sykes died in 1992, and following a stroke, Maxine passed away in 2015. Van carries on the legacy his parents began 65 years ago.
“If there is anything that I can point to as a particular point of pride for what I have brought to what Mom and Dad built, I would hope that it is the employee culture that we’ve built here,” Van said. “We have a dedicated staff here that is as passionate as I am about what this restaurant is.”
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